Icarus
by Lense
Summary: Short Loki/Thor childhood drabble.
1. Chapter 1

Icarus – White Hinterland

Chapter 1

Loki caught a large pack that Thor tossed at him from atop of the stone wall and smirked. It was always his prerogative to be the first one to step foot somewhere forbidden to the two of them. He was also very often the blunt of the blame for these modest adventures that he shared with his brother but he had never really cared. These adventures he shared with his brother, they were some of the rare times when he could actually feel like Thor's _equal_.

To reach their destination they made a three kilometer hike through dense forest following alongside a large creek, twisted in between some of the more stout mountains of Western Asgard. The creek was fed by snowmelt as well as the one open spring located near the mouth of the delta. Instead of leading to an ocean as an outlet, the river dropped down to smaller group of islands, the largest named Rubicon Falls. The point of no return, this island was home to legends of the Nyx.

Stories were told of the Nyx, a people said to have been banished from the realm of Asgard generations before. The Nyx were a group of water people that were nomads, traveling all of the water systems throughout Asgard. It was also said that they were a peaceful race once, long before. Though the local Asgardians had been reassured that these stories were only folklore, it had failed to put to rest mysteries of stragglers going missing over the centuries. The area had been barricaded off when a series of unnatural avalanches destroyed several small villages during another assault from Jotunheim. It had been Loki's idea to scale over this barrier and venture near the edge of the territory.

Once they reached their small pool of glory, Loki was the first to drop his pack and dive in head first. Thor followed suit, only after easing his way into the chilly waters. Loki watched him, smirking under the water with only his eyes above the surface. Thor's hesitation amused him.

The two of them played all sorts of water games, racing each other around the edge of the pool, determining who could dive the deepest into the spring... They usually avoided moving too far out on the edge as the mouth of the river dropped down in the largest of the falls below. But Thor also loved to test Loki's patience. He snickered, grinning widely as his brother eyed him wearily.

"Thor, don't be foolish." Ignoring Loki, he began making wild butterfly strokes towards the spring's edge.

"What could you possibly be afraid of here, Brother?" Thor continued his banter as Loki muttered under his breath.

"It never hurts to be cautious." _And our father would never forgive me if you did something stupid_. He rolled his eyes, dipping his head under the cool water. Loki could hold his breath for an abnormally long span of time. Swimming was one sport Loki excelled in, surpassing his brother's skill. Unfortunately, swimming was not exactly the most highly praised sport in Asgardian games.

The minutes ticked by and he surfaced. Panic washed over him when he looked out over the clear surface and did not spot Thor bobbing in the water in his usual, oaf-like manner.

"Thor." He called out to him, and again more irritated. "_Thor!_" Loki was tired of being on the receiving end of Thor's poorly lain-out pranks. He pulled himself out of the water onto a rock, getting a better vantage point of the spring. He scanned the foliage, watching for signs of motion. Loki continued his climb towards the edge of the spring, where the water dropped down to the islands below.

As he pulled himself up another mossy rock, he froze.

The faint sound of a chorus met his ears. The melody was sad and pleading; he listened and felt his chest tighten with a sense of wanderlust. His vision began to intensify, the water coming into sharp focus and his extremities numbed. He lost his footing and fell gracelessly back into the frigid waters. The cold made the breath catch in his lungs and it cleared his head. The Nyx. That was their trance. The melancholically twisting notes were the demise of wanderers who ventured too close to their path.

The haunting sound drifted up from below the edge. Above, pearly white clouds drifted lazily by, as though inviting him closer. Loki knew better.

"_Thor!_" Loki cried, anxiety warped his face and real panic beginning to grip his chest. What would happen if Loki left for help? That was not an option, it was a full day's hike and anything could happen while he was gone. He stood overlooking the ledge, a gust of misty wind blew back his hair and he was hit with a sense vertigo from the sheer height of the drop. The falls descended down into whiteness which he could not see beyond. Coming to a resolution, he drew in a deep breath of air and plummeted into the Rubicon.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Rubicon islands were no sort of paradise. Barren rock strewn together with rocky gray soil speckled with brown moss and black lichen. Pools of water trickled down from the falls, the sky was murky under the layer of clouds separating the two masses of land. Loki became distinctly aware of a sharp pain in his left shoulder and of the blood trickling down his slight chest. He sat for a moment in the frigid pool. The chilled water soaked through his skin and he suppressed a shiver. Allowing his body to relax, the cold seeped into him and he was numb to its effects. _Thor…_

Loki remembered his brother and shook his head, quickly taking up a defensive stance, crouching and watching for any signs of movement. Only a foggy quiet met his senses. Loki swallowed hard, trying to fight back his fears as visions of Thor's body being drawn under the surface of the water and drowned drifted through his mind. Loki clutched at his shoulder, Thor had only been gone a matter of minutes he could not be too far along the path. He remembered when the times when they would hike together. Loki was always the more agile of the two. He could ascend the path much more quickly than Thor, and made a habit of leaving him behind. It would take his brother as long as an hour to catch up to him through the thick brush. Now Loki was the one being left behind in the cold and he could help but feel a sense of regret for those times when they could have walked together, rather than turning it into some kind of competition.

Loki's bare feet met the shore of slimy black pebbles, still sharp from crumbling off of the surrounding rocks. He climbed along the river bank, meeting occasional waterfalls here and there. His sense perked as the faint sound of a flute met his ears. It reminded him of the gypsy music played at the Fall Festivals in the North. He followed the sound and found a much larger waterfall concealing a cave. He could see the warm glow of a fire behind the fluid blanket and felt his spirits lighten just a tiny bit.

Inside the grotto, Loki froze as he heard, what he previous believed to be a pile of rags, speak _very_ audibly. "I'm in no mood for lessons today, Hrogar." The old man coughed and sighed.

"Wh-who is Hrogar?" Loki's natural curiosity kicked in before he was able to stop himself. The old man turned.

"Ahh, a visitor. Well I'll have you know, I'm not in a generous mood either, so you can go ahead and take your troubles elsewhere."

"Excuse me sir. I am only searching for my, brother, Thor... He was caught in the falls…"

The older man growled an exasperated sound. "Thor, eh? Son of Odin?" Loki nodded feverishly and the old man chuckled. "Well I guess I have no choice in the matter then, hm? Can't have our little princess going missing now can we?" The man grinned, his teeth as gray as his rags.

"I believe he was entranced, sir. The Nyx… there are stories."

"Stories? Is that what they are now, stories?" The man rubbed his face. "The Nyx do have a nasty penchant for stealing off with the foolhardy. It's a sport for them."

Loki interjected. "So they _are_ _real_, then."

"Who did you say you were, boy?"

"Loki, sir. Thor is my brother."

"Hm, well it was awfully foolish of you to venture down here _alone_ to go after him. These are not exactly the royal gardens."

"Please, have you seen him?" Desperation weeded his voice and it did not go unnoticed by the elder. He sighed again

"No, I have not. You probably won't either." But Loki was already standing to leave. "Magic. They like magic, it can distract them."

Loki paused and turned. "Thank you." The man only grumbled.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Thor remembered plummeting over a drop. An intense pain in his head and water… cold water, enveloping him, needing to breath. He was surrounded by a thickness, his mouth gagged with some kind of gummy knot of reeds. He had small amounts of air but when he opened his eyes he only discovered thick green water around him, above him and darkness beneath him. Thor struggled with the bindings around his wrists, he needed air. He felt his senses growing foggy, the need for air constricting his brain and uncomfortable blackness ensnaring his consciousness. All the while he could still hear that same haunting melody drifting through his thoughts.

Loki felt the fog drifting over his skin before it began to cloud its way into his vision. He stumbled further down the path until a lake loomed into view. The water was pitch-black, creating a dark, mirror surface. This was the kind of water that made him nervous. He had absolutely no idea what was under the glassy blanket but he could still hear the sounds of that melody resonating from the center of the lake. On the safety of a rock, he dipped a toe into the water. It was warm. Ripples formed from the in the water around where he disturbed the surface. He could not feel the bottom.

"_Thor!_" He cried desperately. The voices changed pattern into a quick, repetitive sound. Laughter.

Loki clenched his jaw and stepped back.

Resolve building in his chest, he dove headlong into the lukewarm waters, splitting the surface so quietly and cleanly it barely had any impact on the black mirror. Opening his eyes was easy enough but sheer panic over took him when all he could see was darkness around him.

He swam, his eyes adjusting little by little to the change in light. In reality, the water was an emerald green. He surfaced once before reaching the center of the lake. Breathing heavily, Loki shivered despite the temperature of the water. Being surrounded by nothingness on all sides… it made him anxious. He longed for solid ground under his feet. Taking in one more deep breath of air, he dove into the depths. Darkness beneath him only grew darker. But soon Thor's blonde head of hair loomed into sight, tinted a sickly, lurid hue by the green luminosity.

Loki reached out and grabbed Thor under his shoulder blade. He was still warm. His brother's eyes were closed and he was gagged with reeds. His hands were bound by the same material tangled around his feet. The ropes twisted down into the darkness and Loki had no intention of finding out where they led.

He struggled with the slippery binds, unable to free his brother. Attempting a new method, Loki brought the binds to his mouth, feverishly using his teeth to cut through the knots. Successful, he untangled his brother's bare feet from the weeds as well. He did not notice that the chorus had stopped while he worked on the bonds.

Rising, he discovered that he was encircled by a group of creatures.

The Nyx had skin that was pale with a yellowish tint and their torso faded into a long grey tale, twice the length of their bodies. Ribs strained against leathery skin, they were skeletal, starving creatures. Their eyes, all centered on him, were black with irises of pure white light. They opened their mouth to reveal a kind of internal beak-like set of teeth.

A low hissing sound enveloped the waters just as Loki noticed Thor was beginning to reawaken. He panicked and began to swim towards the surface, while Loki only locked gazes with the largest Nyx of the group. His head was beginning to spin, he needed to surface _soon_.

He brought his hands up and several of the creatures made a darting move towards him, teeth bared. Loki acted instinctively and shockwave of ice rippled through the water, sending shards of ice to pierce through his attackers momentarily before dissolving into water again. A horrible screeching met his ears as the wounded retreated back into the darkness. They were gone as quickly as they had come.

Loki broke through the surface gasping and coughing, his head still spinning. Thor grabbed at his Loki's arm and swam towards the edge of the lake, tugging his exhausted brother along with him.

A roll a thunder clapped up above and rain began to wash over the lake in waves creating distinct white noise drowning out all other sounds and dissolving the mirror-like appearance of the water's surface. In fact, it was not nearly as intimidating without its dark exterior. Loki breathed easily and the thunder gave him an immense sense of peace and calm.

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_._

Epilogue

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On the sandy shore of the lake, Thor and Loki sat together, their feet still in the strange warm water. Loki had his arms wrapped around his brother's bulky figure. If Thor thought this was strange he did not say so. Neither of them spoke, they just sat there panting, trying to catch their breaths. The rain poured down in plummets, soaking their skin in warmth. Loki very well _could_ have lost his only brother. He shivered at the thought and did not let go. He would never let go.

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[_Hey look. It is an Author's Note::_ Okay wow. That was fun. Sorry if that seemed a little slashy at the end, it wasn't I swear. Also If any of you have ever gone swimming at the beach or on a lake in the rain, you will level with me %100 on that last paragraph._**You know what I mean. **_Anyways, **thank you for the kind comments, you guys make me feel loved.**

I may write more Loki/Thor but I can't guarantee anything. My first project which is like my baby and is also freaking huge (like 25k words+ for one story out of a trilogy) is still being written and edited so it leaves little time for other projects (in fact I was afraid I was not going to be able to finish this).

The other story is very different from this one but it does follow the common theme of the bond that brothers share. So if there are any **Data/Lore** trekkers out there reading this, go check it out. It needs reader's input. Desperately.]


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